Ubuntu help needed

[badabec]

Hello, when I boot Ubuntu 16.04 LTS I get the following message

“Failed to start Apply Kernel Variables” ​

It boots ok, works perfectly normally, I just wonder what it means and how to get rid of it. In very simple, idiot friendly, terms.

One oddity is the location of drop down menus. For example, on ebay there may be different sizes of an item. Click to get the dropdown and it appears in random places, anywhere on the screen. Any ideas?
Thanks

 

[graffian]

I have something liek that flashes up in red when the boot messages come?
My house computer has done that since I put the mate desktop on it in 2016.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Hello, when I boot Ubuntu 16.04 LTS I get the following message

“Failed to start Apply Kernel Variables” ​

It boots ok, works perfectly normally, I just wonder what it means and how to get rid of it. In very simple, idiot friendly, terms.

One oddity is the location of drop down menus. For example, on ebay there may be different sizes of an item. Click to get the dropdown and it appears in random places, anywhere on the screen. Any ideas?
Thanks

I haven't used Linux for a while but these lines:

root soft nofile 10000
root hard nofile 12800

www-data soft nofile 10000
www-data hard nofile 12800

at the end of 99-sysctl.conf should not be there. Did you add them?

If you comment them out (put a '#' at the beginning of the line), the message should go away. If you need to change the open file limits, add those lines to limits.conf.

Alternatively, a die grinder to that part of the screen might help.

Jack

 

[pedrobedro]

Alternatively, a die grinder to that part of the screen might help.

That's a bit drastic, masking tape will cover it and you can put it back to standard after.

 

[Shedendman]

Its really worth joining their forum,very helpful no matter how new or dumb you are to linux

Ubuntu Forums

A help and support forum for Ubuntu Linux.

ubuntuforums.org

I joined the one i use with my linux distro linux lite,cant fault them

 

[500e]

Whats the difference with all the different Ubantu versions, &
Linux distro linux lite.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Whats the difference with all the different Ubantu versions.
Linux distro linux lite.

That's hard to answer in a nutshell.

There are a lot of linux distributions, Ubuntu is one but there are several versions of Ubuntu.

Some are optimised for:
- the desk top with or without a graphical user interface (GUI)
- low resource usage in gadgets and phones
- servers for file systems, WEB servers, telephony servers and many others
- embedded systems in lathes, mills, televisions, vehicles, welders and many others

Even if you are only concerned with desktop distributions, there are many and each on those has a choice of several GUIs or no GUI.

Sorry, I'm not being very helpful but it's a bit like "what's the difference between welders?" - no offence intended.

Jack

 

[500e]

None taken
I keep wondering if I should venture into a different opp system just to mess my life up even more as I don't have to use windows for legacy programs any moor
Friends keep saying try Linux

 

[Onoff]

Friends keep saying try Linux

Absolute revelation. Try maybe Zorin for a seamless transition from Windows. Zorin has a theme changer so you can make it look like XP, 7 even a Mac.

Zorin OS - Make your computer better.

Discover the alternative to Windows and macOS designed to make your computer faster, more powerful, secure, and privacy-respecting.

zorinos.com

You can try what's call a "live stick" of pretty much any Linux distro you fancy. A complete OS on a USB stick that you put into your windows computer and boot from. It doesn't damage your pc but lets you try Linux out. It lets you get on the net etc. Shut the machine down, remove the stick and reboot and you're back to Windows.

You can install Linux instead of or alongside Windows and choose which when you first boot.

 

[500e]

Will give it a try
Presume you download to a stick or card

 

[badabec]

I haven't used Linux for a while but these lines:



at the end of 99-sysctl.conf should not be there. Did you add them?

If you comment them out (put a '#' at the beginning of the line), the message should go away. If you need to change the open file limits, add those lines to limits.conf.

Alternatively, a die grinder to that part of the screen might help.

Jack

Hello, my problem is I have no idea what to type in the terminal to get to such settings. I fall at the first hurdle!

 

[Onoff]

Will give it a try
Presume you download to a stick or card

I use UNetbootin on a Windows PC for making live sticks:

UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads

unetbootin.github.io

 

[badabec]

I did type into terminal

cat /etc/sysctl.d/99-sysctl.conf

The output ends

#net.ipv4.conf.all.log_martians = 1

The lines you mention above,

root soft nofile 10000
root hard nofile 12800

www-data soft nofile 10000
www-data hard nofile 12800

aren't there.

Thanks

 

[Jack Ryan]

I did type into terminal

cat /etc/sysctl.d/99-sysctl.conf

The output ends

#net.ipv4.conf.all.log_martians = 1

The lines you mention above,

root soft nofile 10000
root hard nofile 12800

www-data soft nofile 10000
www-data hard nofile 12800

aren't there.

Thanks

Sorry, I thought the link you posted was you posting your question elsewhere. I think you'll need to find someone to sit with you to sort it out, too much chance of going off on a tangent doing it remotely. Perhaps a family member or the resident expert at your local "men's shed".

Jack

 

[Shedendman]

None taken
I keep wondering if I should venture into a different opp system just to mess my life up even more as I don't have to use windows for legacy programs any moor
Friends keep saying try Linux

My suggestion would be try linux lite

Linux Lite Easy to Use Free Linux Operating System

Linux Lite is a free easy to use linux based operating system that is suitable for people who are new to linux.

www.linuxliteos.com

Call it linux for dummies
I've tried quite a few distros some good some not so good,the thing is,its free,you can run it along side windoz,if you've an old laptop/pc with low spec,stick a linux on it and it'll run like turbo,loads of help out there if you get stuck,you dont need to be a computer nerd either,if you can read then you're on your way
Massive list of whats out there

DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.

News and feature lists of Linux and BSD distributions.

distrowatch.com

 

[Onoff]

I've lost count of the number of old, apparently "dead" pcs running Windows that I've put Linux on for people. Otherwise binned or consigned to the back of a wardrobe/loft. Often nowt wrong with them other than a corrupt/clogged Windows install.

The "bonus" with say a live stick is you can boot an otherwise dead pc and access all your files, pictures you thought you lost etc. Then transfer to an external drive.

Not all pcs/laptops can boot from a USB stick. Sometimes (generally an age thing) you have to make a live DVD or even CD.

I just wish I could run AutoCAD on Linux!

 

[pawsnizzy]

'I just wish I could run AutoCAD on Linux!'

Fusion 360 is the only reason I use W10

 

[Prajna]

I like Mint. I used to install Ubuntu but found that Mint is better supported these days and seems to just work with old hardware that requires messing around on Ubuntu. Also it has a start menu rather than Ubuntu's trying-to-hard-to-be-different interface.

 

[Jack Ryan]

I like Mint. I used to install Ubuntu but found that Mint is better supported these days and seems to just work with old hardware that requires messing around on Ubuntu. Also it has a start menu rather than Ubuntu's trying-to-hard-to-be-different interface.

I agree.

 

[Stupoty]

You might want to do a distro upgrade as 16.04 is coming to the end of it's support life.

Should be painless ()

Ubuntu 16.04 Hits End of Life, Users Should Upgrade Now - OMG! Ubuntu

Running Ubuntu 16.04 LTS? Hopefully you're not as it reached end of life on April 29,2021. What does that mean? Bluntly: no more security updates, and no

www.omgubuntu.co.uk